[Leica] HDR restraint

[kcarney1 at cox.net (Ken Carney)]

Duane,

Thanks much for taking the time for a detailed critique.  I had not noticed
some of those things.   I thought the main issue in the Mosque photo was
that the sky (light overcast) turned out looking like a portrait backdrop.
Yes, definitely manipulated.  None of the scenes presented themselves like
the photos.  In Kingfisher 2 the light rays were there, but not to the
unaided eye.  What is your reference to using a brush?  I am just using
Photomatix Pro.

I'm not sure if HDR has a future (or a present) for me, but it is an
intriguing idea.


Ken

> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+kcarney1=cox.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-
> bounces+kcarney1=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Duane Birkey
> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 8:31 PM
> To: 'Lug
> Subject: [Leica] HDR restraint
> 
> I think the person who made the Blurb book on HDR needs to find a honest
> friend with a good eye....
> 
> It's really  DPFH....  Digital Photography from H.........
> 
> I've been doing the technique for over 5 years since I started shooting
> raw.....  If you can tell that it is was worked on in Photoshop in less
> than 10 or 15 seconds....  IMHO.... you've failed... If you can tell in
> the first glance... it's a DPFH......
> 
> I'm looking for a photo that looks right to the eye.... but may have a bit
> more detail in the shadows.. or a bit more detail in the light areas than
> what the camera can capture....  most of the time it's a 1/2 stop here or
> perhaps a 1 stop... once in a while two stops on indoor stuff where I
> couldn't light it right.....
> 
> The biggest fault is that people either try to incorporate too broad of
> range.... they either use too small of brush or too big of brush....  and
> they are in too much of a hurry....   I use a wacom tablet... and
> routinely spend 20 to 40 minutes on a given photo if there are complex
> shapes....  You need to working at 200% or more on the monitor...
> 
> When I look at ken's mosque photo.... I  see the lighter line above the
> straight roof line of the mosque... that follows out to the left.... and
> then the darker line of clouds right above that....that mysteriously
> lightens up at the edge of the dome....  and below it above the smaller
> dome...  it just doesn't look right....
> 
> On kingfisher 4... the top of the grain elevator is mysteriously dark as
> is the top of the shed....  the equipment/ground to the left is really
> dark while the pavement is lighter
> 
> I'm not real fond of pure blacks in clouds....
> 
> I can accept it as being artistic..... but it screams I've been
> manipulated....  and for me that takes away from the really nice
> composition that Ken started with in each of the photos
> 
> Duane Birkey
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> or they use too bilure
> 
> 
> do a lot of
> 
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